Essay for The Doll`s House Play

Essay for A Doll 's House Play

Henrik Ibsen wrote this controversial play A Doll 's House which was later adapted into a film in 1973 . The play powerfully dealt with gender discrimination . It was a historical glimpse at the struggles Victorian women went through to find respect and equality . The play gives various insights into the barbarities that existed within the law and society of those times . Controversial like Ibsen intentionally or unintentionally forced women to rise up and reclaim their legal and civil rights

The play takes place in

the one of the rooms of Mr . and Mrs . Torvald Helmer 's Apartment . The story is set in the late 1800 's during Christmas time in Norway . The main character of the play is Nora , a middle class Victorian woman , ruled by her husband and unaware of her state of unfulfillment . When she is thrown into a dire situation she tries to protect her husband and family by committing forgery and dishonestly obtains a loan . She is completely oblivious to the legal consequences of her act . She believes her special status will always protect her and her kids . The law on the other hand expects her to know better

At this moment she realizes the hypocrisy of the system and tries to break away from her doll like shell . She suddenly wants to live a life less frivolous . She gets a job and starts earning her own money . This new found freedom enthralls her . However , her relationship with her husband spirals downwards and sows the seed of doubt and self reflection

Nora , throughout the play never leaves the room in her apartment . This one room shows various shades of hypocrisy , discrimination , arrogance and dishonesty exhibited by society . It could be Ibsen 's way of showing a microscopic vision of the world through this room . It shows the plight and suffering of every woman in every household all around the world The fact that Nora does not leave the room throughout the film shows how she is entrapped in this Victorian Doll House

The original ending broke boundaries and spewed controversy in many European countries . The ending showed Nora rebelling against her husband , her father and ultimately the patriarchal society . However , it caused too much shock and disagreement within the audiences and Ibsen was forced to change it . He later on lived to regret the change

The Victorian Soceity was very cruel to women . The law dictated that property children and income should belong only to men . Divorce or Separation was shunned upon . Working women were frowned upon by society . The status of women was equivalent to the slaves , criminals or the insane . A woman had the role of reproducing children , keeping the house clean , and feeding the children while the husband worked

To conclude , this play had a great role in convincing men and women of the Victorian age that women should get equal pay for equal work equal rights to enjoy an independent self sufficient life rights...